Title

Author

Date of Award

Summer 8-1-2010

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Dr. Binghe Wang

Abstract

KCN-1 is known to reduce tumor growth 6-fold in mice implanted with LN229 glioma cells. Although this inhibitor is effective, the mechanism of action for KCN-1 is not well understood. Based on preliminary studies, KCN-1 reduces tumor growth by disrupting the HIF 1 (hypoxia-induced factor-1) pathway. The binding target of KCN-1 needs to be investigated in order to develop KCN-1 or its analogs for therapeutic applications. In this research, a molecule was designed and synthesized for the identification of the binding target of KCN-1. Specifically, this molecule contains the inhibitor (KCN-1), a photocleavable linker, beads, and the affinity label (L DOPA). When UV light shines on the linker, the trans-alkene isomerizes to cis-alkene and undergoes intramolecular ring-closing reaction, which helps cleave the immobilized bead from the linker. The immobilized bead is used to separate the binding fragment attached to the photocleavable linker from the solution after enzyme digestion. The affinity label (L-DOPA) reacts with a nucleophile from the binding target and creates a covalent bond. If the design is successful, this method is able to analyze the mass of the peptide sequence and determine the binding target of KCN-1.